Crime and Capabililty
by La Vik
Summary: Buddy Pine was your everyday highschool outcast. When Syndrome unknowingly turns to a former classmate for help in the future, he tells her everything. Will he regret his choice, or will she prove to be more useful than he first expected?
1. An Appreciated Distraction

**Disclaimer: **_The Incredibles _belongs to brad Bird, Pixar, etc. I own my OC.

I was going to wait to start posting this story on FFN, but my friend made me, so sorry if this chapter isn't that great. It's just a prologue, and it's still un beta'd.

Also, to anyone in Ohio, whether or not there is an actual place called Fairwaters, it's a figment of my imagination for this story's purposes, kay? Sorry if it offends anyone!

* * *

**_October, 1998 Fairwaters, Ohio_**

That new kid, the one with red hair…

The "popular table" in the cafeteria of Fairwaters High in Ohio was abuzz about the recent new transfer, the one sitting by himself, doodling and writing something or other. The populars of Fairwaters were completely ruthless, being residents the richest neighborhoods, born of the most coddling parents, and drivers of the nicest cars…a social outcast's worst nightmare

"Anyone know who he is?" Anna, the tall blonde girl, piped in, peering over her friends' heads at _that loner_.

"He's in my physics class." The table looked at Melody, the quietest of the group with billowing brown hair and large doe-eyes to match.

"Physics?" said Robin, easily the best-looking boy in the group. Everyone knew that he had THE most unbelievable crush on Melody…except Melody herself. "Sounds like a REAL geek."

"Whatever," Melody said carelessly, drumming her fingers on her own physics textbook in annoyance. "His name's Buddy."

"_Buddy_." Robin repeated with a derisive snort. "Sounds like a real _stud_. Your type, eh?"

"Don't you know who he is? That's the kid who got put on house arrest or something for stalking Mr. Incredible," Anna said in a conspiratorial whisper. "And I heard he got expelled from his old school for being _crazy _and wanting to kill everybody—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Robin said. "Mr. Incredible…as in _the super_?"

"No, the English-Lit teacher—_duh, _the super, Rob." Melody muttered.

"What a psycho," he laughed dismissively. Then, the bell rang, signaling that they needed to get to class. The three who had been conversing at their center table made for the door when the red-headed object of their attentions stood up in their path. Robin, who had still been polishing off his can of rootbeer, bumped into him, sending the contents spilling all over the floor, _and _all four teens' shirts.

"Watch where you're going, _freak_," he snapped.

"_You _watch it," he said in what would have been a menacing tone, had his voice been…not the most uber-masculine. Robin just gave another arrogant huff and chuckle.

"God, what's your problem, Robin?" Melody groaned, trying to wipe the rootbeer stain off of her textbook with a spare napkin she swiped off of the table. She looked at the redhead, who hadn't even acknowledged her presence before she spoke up. "Sorry, we forgot to give him his medication. He's got _issues_," she said sarcastically. "I'm Melody Excelsior."

He paused for a moment, looking suspiciously at the girl. She didn't seem like much of a threat—fairly short, a "babyface" which she no doubt used to kiss up to teachers. But she was obviously popular. He could tell that by looking at these people now. If he could hang around _this _school longer than he'd been able to at the others, she'd be able to help him get one up on these small town hicks.

"Buddy Pine," he said, trying to sound more polite than what was natural, all the while cringing at that _horrible _name that his parents just _had _to give him.

"All right, well, see you in physics, I guess." She replied with a shrug, walking away with her _posse _once again. He looked over his shoulder as she left and gave tiny smirk before walking off in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, sure." He muttered. "See you."

* * *

It turned out that Robin and Buddy happened to have the same next class…English-Lit. The teacher sat them relatively close to each other, and in the middle of his lecture, Robin poked Buddy with his pencil. 

"Hey, new kid." He muttered.

"What?" Buddy replied through gritted teeth.

"What do you think of Mel?" he asked with a covert smirk. "I mean, she's smart…"

_A real plus, and a rarity in these country bumpkins, _Buddy thought…

"Pretty…"

_Hadn't considered that, but yeah…_"Yeah, so what are you getting at?" Buddy snapped irately.

"Just checking, don't need to bite," Robin said. "See, her _boyfriend's _worried, seeing as five guys have tried to ask her to the Winter Ball. Not including him,"

"Her boyfriend?" Buddy couldn't help but ask. He was slightly disappointed…

"Oh, _yeah_," Robin chuckled. "Malcolm Scott? He's the biggest guy on the football team…You didn't think she was _single, _did you?"

"Nah," Buddy replied. "No way." _Hoped it, maybe, but didn't expect it._

* * *

For being in such a small town, there was a large amount of students at Fairwaters that had cars. It seemed that Buddy was the only one walking home, being careful to avoid being hit by the reckless drivers that happened to swerve on and off the sidewalk. He began to walk at a faster pace, just to make sure he didn't end up getting his shoes run over or something. 

He had taken to looking away from the street, just because it was too much of a near-trauma to look at the cars filled with people his age, bouncing and yelling. _How dumb, _he thought.

"Hey!" Someone said. She turned to look and saw Melody in her black convertible…

_Of course she has a car. I wouldn't be surprised if she had ten. Spoiled brat. _He thought. _Not that she even looks old enough to be driving in it_.

"Need a ride anywhere?" she asked, picking her backpack up off of the passenger seat and throwing it into the space behind her. Buddy weighed his options. This girl _was _friends with that airhead, Robin, after all. This _could _be some plot to crash him into a tree or something. But anything was better than walking the mile home while running the risk of being hit.

"Sure." He said, getting in.

"Where do you live?" she asked, flicking on the stereo.

"Sedgewick Terraces." Buddy answered shortly. _Why? Gonna send your posse to TP the place?_

"No way!" Melody laughed. "I live there too. Weirdness,"

"Blows your mind, huh?" he said sarcastically. "So, you're going to Winter Ball with your boyfriend?" _Dude, where'd that come from?_

"Boyfriend?" Melody asked incredulously. At the nearest stop sign, she paused and looked at Buddy, raising an eyebrow.

"Your boyfriend. Robin said…" he was beginning to get the feeling that he'd been _gullible _for the first time in his life. But he had to make sure. "Malcolm Scott?"

Melody kept the same expression on her face for a fair few seconds, then burst out laughing. Buddy looked at her as though she had grown an extra pair of noses. "I'm sorry," she laughed breathlessly. "It's just that…Malcolm's my cousin! Never believe what Robin says about me. The guy hates me," She paused, regained her composure, and began driving again. "Besides, I've gone stag to every dance we've ever had. Everyone knows that."

"Oh." He said. _Relief, _he thought, _I need someone in this school who won't ignore me, and who better than the place's resident princess?_

"You should go," she pointed out.

_What the…_ "Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Both of them being in their senior year, it's hard to tell what was more unusual: that s_he _had never had a date to a dance, or that _he _had never gone to one at all. Fortunately, the question's answer had to wait. "This is me," he said, gesturing to house.

"The coincidences never end, do they?" Melody laughed, stopping and getting out of the car. She pointed at the house across the street. "This is me." She flashed him one last smile then hurried off to her door.

_Bullseye _he thought with a smirk.

* * *

Whatever his original intentions were, and regardless of any initial misgivings about the entire thing, Buddy ended up becoming good friends with Melody. Regardless of the fact that he had a very _undesirable _attitude to everyone else, Melody still seemed to enjoy, or at least tolerate, his company. 

Melody didn't give up her seat with Anna and Robin at lunch, however. Externally, things remained the same. The only time they were ever with one another was after school. Mel had made a habit of giving him a ride whenever she came across him walking home, and they'd end up at one another's houses. Melody had even begun to confide in him, whether she knew she was doing it or not.

Which is why it came as a surprise when Buddy looked out of his window one Saturday morning and saw a large moving van across the street. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Melody and her brother hauling their couch into the truck.

He pulled on a sweatshirt and ran outside, quickly regretting the fact that he was just wearing socks and no shoes. He went towards Melody, who was arguing loudly with her older brother, who, in all fairness, was a grown man who hardly had a right to be arguing with his kid sister.

"This is all _your _fault, Simon." Melody snapped. "If you had just watched what you were doing—"

Her older brother cut her off and nodded towards Buddy—the two had a mutual dislike for one another.

"Hey, what goes on?" Buddy asked, jutting his shoulder into Simon's side, making it obvious that he wanted him to move out of the way.

"Um…" Melody began weakly. She obviously couldn't lie and say the moving van was there for no reason, but she also couldn't say why they _really _had to leave. Besides, she didn't want to think about the fight her family had gotten into over it two nights before. "My…uh…dad….got a new job." She said. "He got promoted to manager."

"Gotcha," Buddy chuckled. "So you guys are moving uptown! Sweet! I hear the places up there are like mansions—"

"_Actually_," Simon interrupted, blatantly butting Buddy out of the way, then standing next to his younger sister with a protective arm around her shoulder. "We're moving to _Baltimore_."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the onions there, pizza face," he said. WhileSimon obviously took offense to the statement, Melody tried hard not to laugh. "I think I had something in my ear for a sec…you mean Baltimore, _Ohio, _right? Meaning IN THIS STATE?"

"Yeah, I was gonna mention that…" Melody said uncomfortably. "There _is _no Baltimore, Ohio, as far as I know. We're moving to Maryland."

"Yeah, so say bye, all right?" Simon snapped. Both seventeen-year-olds narrowed their eyes at him. "All right, all right! Whatever." Simon waved a hand dismissively and walked away.

The next day, there was no longer any residents in the big white house in Sedgewick Terraces.

"Nyeh…" Buddy muttered to himself. "She was distracting me anyway. I have bigger fish to fry."

He thought back to his one-time _hero_, Mr. Incredible. He'd almost forgotten about him. But he was back on track now, and he was ready to get down and dirty.


	2. The Meaning of Closure

**DISCLAIMER: **_I own Melody. All other characters, settings, etc. belong to Disney Pixar, Brad Bird, et al. _

_Thanks to my reviewers, **SirenFoxx, Gremblin, mirage, **and **Sus. **My first reviewers are always my favorite. Are any of you off of LiveJournal? _

_Well, anyhoo, on with the show!_

* * *

After Melody Excelsior had left Fairwaters High School, Buddy Pine reverted back to his old ways, the ways that had gotten him moved to Fairwaters in the first place. Becoming even more of an introvert, the first two weeks after Melody's move instigated a major change in him.

He found himself experimenting, tinkering with school property to see how far he could go. It started with being able to wire the lightswitches so they could shock the unsuspecting passersby, but eventually became more and more noticeable. By Friday of his second week of being a loner once more, he found himself getting sent home from school…not that it mattered. His parents were never home anyway.

He noticed the red flag on the quaint tin mailbox was up, so, out of habit, he opened it. He found one letter, and assumed it was a bill, until he noticed that it was addressed to him.

_Buddy,_

_I'm really sorry for having to move on such short notice. I would have told you, but I wasn't supposed to. I'm not supposed to be writing to anyone back in Fairwaters, really, but I'm a rebel like that, right? I hope everything's going all right. Write back, but don't put a return address. Miss you._

_-Mel_

"Don't put a return address?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Whatever." He tossed the letter onto the kitchen counter and tromped up to his room. He had better things to do than deal with her…

But after about an hour of fuming at the fact that he'd gotten in trouble "_just for being too smart" _once again, he thought about the letter. Apparently, she'd taken a risk writing it, even though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why she wasn't supposed to talk to anyone from Fairwaters. And he was as close as he was going to get to a _friend _for a long time. He might as well humor her. He pulled a piece of loose leaf paper out and picked a pen.

_Mel,_

_Sure, things are great…if getting suspended is your cup of tea. Why aren't you supposed to be writing to anyone? I mean, you just moved. No offense, but are your parents that messed up?"_

_-Buddy_

He cringed once again at having to sign that name, but it was the only thing that Mel knew to call him. She would have thought he was a freak if he told her about the new name he planned to go by once he'd gotten his plan into motion.

For a while, the brief, rather vague letters came in the mail at intermittent intervals. Buddy would vent in long-winded essays about how stupid and incompetent the people of Fairwaters were, mainly because Mel was the only one who didn't give him flack for it. Either that, or she just didn't care and let him go on because it amused her. Adversely, Buddy was lucky if he got a whole paragraph in Melody's reply. In most cases, the letters were hardly longer than two sentences in a sloppy scrawl that he would've considered Melody incapable of writing in.

One day in early June, just at the time both of them would have been graduating, the phone at the Pine residence rang. Buddy, being the only one home, picked it up.

"'Lo?" he said.

"Buddy?" said a voice on the other end. "It's Mel."

"Oh?" he said, not really knowing how to react. She'd never called the house before. "Uh, hi." _What's she acting so weird about?_

"Hey…um…I'm just calling to tell you…" she paused uncomfortably. "Don't send any more letters to my address, okay?"

"Huh?" he asked. "Why not?" _She thinks you're a freak, Syndrome. A straight-up freak._

"I'm moving again," Melody said. "But my parents aren't."

_Of course she'd want to move out_ Buddy thought, _her parents were to most nosy, overbearing people on the face of the earth. _,"Where?" he inquired, hoping to get some kind of information out of her.

"I can't tell you. No one can know about where I'm moving except for who I'm moving _with. _But I won't be in Baltimore anymore, and I don't want my parents finding out I've been writing to you because one of your letters show up, all right?" she said all in one breath. "Listen, they're gonna be getting home soon, and I don't want them to catch me. Gotta go, bye." And the line went dead.

Talk about closure. Now, more than ever, Buddy Pine didn't care much for _people_. He didn't care about these small-town bums anymore, and he didn't care what _her _problem was. He had big plans, and those plans were gonna happen.

There _was _no more Buddy Pine. There was just _Syndrome_.

In the memories he retained from the time when he was _just _Buddy Pine, Syndrome was bitterly glad he hadn't kept in touch with Melody in the years to come. She was far too _normal _to appreciate the genius and power mogul he had becomeand he saw that now. She would have rejected him as an obsessed freak, just as everyone else had. At the very least, she was the only person he knew that had never done anything to him for which he wanted revenge.

He got out of high school and ran off as quickly as he could. He immediately launched into his own business, starting out as a weapons salesman on the black market.

Soon, even illegal activities on such a small scale became ho-hum for Syndrome. He went for the big time. World leaders came to him for the heavy ammunition they needed to get _respect, _whatever they misconstrued respect to be, and he relished in the profits. He acquired enough to get his own island (wittily name _Nomanisan _Island so to serve as an eternal reminder of his purpose) and his own personal assistant…with benefits.

An exotic woman named Mirage—tall, willowy, seductive. and deliciously dark-skinned— erased all memory of the plain, innocent, and altogether childish girl named Melody. He had every weapon under his belt, and had gotten rid of the baggage that would serve as nothing but a hindrance in his plans. _Oh yeah, _he would laugh to himself, _It's playtime now…_

All that mattered now was winning the game.

Here, at the top of his game, he never would imagine how quickly he'd be sent plummeting to rock bottom. He had no idea how easily Mirage could be swayed, especially when she was now hopelessly epoxied to his side. He'd never have expected his harrowing defeat at the hand of the man he swore to destroy, and the desperate situation in which he'd reacquaint himself with an old friend.

* * *

_A/N's: _

_Sorry that this chapter is so short. It was just a transition between "then" and "now". Next chapter, we go into present day (about 6 months after the movie takes place). Hopefully, that chapter will be up soon. Whenever I get time._


	3. Brainwasher of the Masses

**DISCLAIMER: **_I own Melody. Let us exempt ourselves from the usual niceties, shall we?_

_Eep! Thanks to **Vaude** for asking about the time-setting. I thought that the movie took place around present-day, because of the presence of the computer in the Insuracare Office (I know, maybethere were computers in the 60s, but the relative compactness of the computer seemed more modern). Also, it seemed a little too futuristic for the 60s. I'm probably wrong, but I can fix it with some edits with a little bit of research. Gotta look into that one!_

_Other review replies at bottom if it's of any interest._

* * *

**_FIVE YEARS LATER..._**

Melody Excelsior had settled into Metroville quite nicely in her five years there. She wasn't particularly rich, but she had made a good name for herself as the place's resident guru on marketing and publicity. She'd worked with big name companies and made them bigger, not getting much credit to her name, but getting copious rewards for a job well-done.

Also, having met the girl through mediating the school's journalism program, she had grown into a student-mentor relationship with Violet Parr. Her parents had also grown fond of Melody, glad to have their daughter looking up to such an _ideal _role model. They'd had her over for dinner countless times, and Melody had been so stiffly polite, and so unnatural. If she'd heard herself being described as _ideal_, she would have either laughed until she went blue in the face, or gotten sick to her stomach; She was _hardly _a 'sweet young lady'.

After a day of tedious appointments, Melody hopped into her computer chair and propped her feet up against her desk. "God, Mel, why do you have to be such a marketing genius," she sighed tiredly to herself. She was about to call it quits and go back out for dinner when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID box and saw that it was a blocked caller to her business line. "Looks like another shady business guy in need of a career reboot…" She picked up the phone on speaker and sighed. "'Lo, this is Amber Dexter." She always advertised with a fake name, in case one of her clients turned out to be a psycho.

"Yeah, hi, howdy, nice to meet ya," said the voice on the other line, "Listen, do you accept cash?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the onions," she interrupted. The man stopped upon hearing this phrase. "I need a name, markets, the whole spiel. You don't just _tell _an agent to represent you, it takes time—"

"Yeah, _okay_," he replied impatiently. "You're a marketing specialist?"

"Correctamundo," Melody said.

"Just what I need," he said in amusement, "A brainwasher of the masses."

"Oh, yeah, go straight for flattery," Melody muttered sarcastically. "Listen, I need a name and all that good stuff, or I really can't help you out."

There was a very potent, suspicious pause. "_Any _name?"

"For now, sure," Melody sighed.

"All right, the name's Malcolm Scott." He replied, using the first name he could think of.

"Uh huh…" she replied in disbelief. He'd picked her _cousin's _name, and she hadn't seen her cousin in over five years. It was impossible that he'd try to talk to her now. "Okay, Mr. _Scott_, How can I help you?"

"Actually, I need a spot of _legal _help…" he said. Melody gave an unbelieving huff. "Listen, listen, I know you must not get these types of business proposals…"

"Oh _yeah_?" she said sarcastically, still not believing what kind of job she was being offering. "I'm a twenty-three year old publicist. You really expect me to get into a courtroom without those slimy old guys making a total idiot out of me?"

"See, a _lawyer _isn't what I need. Lawyers all work the same way," he said, "These old geezers they have prosecuting me can whittle down any suitcase-wielding snot down like a toothpick. I need my _defender _to be ruthless, like a junkyard dog, someone who can twist the facts, if need be."

"Uh huh," Melody said, intrigued by the stranger's appeal. Needless to say, he had hit her ego in exactly the right way. "So, this really is a courtroom type of thing, then?"

"Private hearing, on my honor." he said, "No juries, just a judge."

"Right," she said, "And how much money are we talking about? I mean, you understand that I don't ever do this kind of thing. I can't go any lower than three-hundred grand." Melody crossed her fingers, hoping that she'd be able to haggle a good price out of this guy. Paying off her rent, _and _the monthlies on the car she 'just had to buy' wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

"I'll give you half a million as down payment, and another two million for winning if you can pull it off." He said dismissively. Melody's jaw dropped. "Interested?" he asked.

"Two and a half million?" she said incredulously. "You mean _dollars_?"

"Or the equivalent," he chuckled. "Why? You prefer pesos? Euros?"

"No!" Melody snapped. "No, dollars…dollars is GREAT. Tell you what, I'll meet you at the deli on Palisades tomorrow at nine-fifteen. I can assure you, I'll be the only one there." _Yeah, _Melody thought, _because that's the only place anyone EVER goes to do anything illegal._

"Perfect." He said. Without another word, he hung up.

Melody was stunned, still in disbelief that she was going to be paid off for doing what she did best. All she had to do was use her twisted sense of logic to con one judge into believing whatever lies this stranger had to sell, and she'd be a millionaire. Someone _had _to be joking her.

Meanwhile, the figure on the other line, after hanging up his phone, clicked his tongue, running a hand through his vibrant red hair.

"Perfect," Syndrome laughed to himself. Initially, he had noticed how familiar Ms. _Dexter_'s voice sounded, but thought nothing of it. It couldn't possibly belong to the person he'd related it to. Right now, all that was important was that she was a _good liar, _and that's exactly what he needed.

_Those supers_, he thought, _Nearly killed me, but they'll get theirs._

"You're a genius, Syndrome. You're off the hook for sure."

* * *

**_THE FOLLOWING DAY..._**

"Nine o'clock,' Melody muttered to herself, looking up at the clock. She was the only patron at the Palisades Deli for the moment, considering everyone else was at work. "Bet this guy is the kind who likes being _fashionably late_."

"Fashionable, yes, but never late," Syndrome said, walking up behind her, his hair out of its usual style to avoid being noticed. The wave of familiarity hit him again when he saw her, but he dismissed it for the moment. He pulled up the seat across from her. For a moment, she just stared at him as well, the expression on her face unreadable.

"All right," she said hesitantly, pulling something out of her purse. "If we're going to be working together, you should know that my name isn't Amber Dexter. That's a fake name…for security purposes."

"Like a secret identity." He pointed out.

"You could say that." She laughed in reply. She slid a business card across the table to him. "The name's Melody Excelsior. All the necessary info is on the card."

Syndrome raised an eyebrow imperceptibly. _So it is her_, he thought, laughing inwardly. _Looks like she's been busy. Doesn't look like she primps as much as she used to. _

He spent a seemingly inconspicuous moment examining her, the girl he'd last seen in her driveway next to a moving van five years ago. She was definitely recognizable, now that he took the time, but she seemed different. She seemed more stern, less _perky_, far more serious. She was natural, and, if she was anyone else, would have appeared lazy. But, even sans her once habitual mask of make-up and hairspray, she was still the same girl.

"All right, let's cut to the chase," she said, slightly perturbed by his overdrawn silence. "When's your hearing? I need to put everything together for this."  
"Tomorrow," he said nonchalantly.

"What?" Melody snapped. "Hey, hold on! I thought I was getting half a million just for agreeing to this, and _now _you're telling me—"

He pulled a briefcase up on top of the table and pushed it towards her. "Half a million in cash, as promised," he said smugly. "Call me Syndrome."

Melody blinked hard in recognition. Syndrome. The alarms went off in her head. She knew _exactly _what was going on now. He had yet to be prosecuted for the events of six month ago, after having just recovered from a nearly tragic run-in with a jet-engine. He looked none the worse for the wear, admittedly…

"All right, _Syndrome_," she said, resting her elbow on the table and propping her chin onto her palm, using her other hand to pull from her hair the pen that she had lazily used to keep it in a bun. It fell down onto her shoulders, making her look at least slightly less stern. "Spill your story, I have work to do."

And that's what he did, quite eagerly. He had an arrogant, bragging tone as he recounted every aspect of the story in vivid detail while Melody just stared in incredulity.

"Lemme get this straight," she said once he had finished his story—she had a feeling that he wasn't the type that liked to be interrupted. "You own your own _island, _tried to save the city from…_yourself_, and then you try to kidnap Mr. Incredible's kid?"

"Exactamundo," he smirked.

"All right, I can dig it," Melody nodded. She bit her lip. "You _do _know that that's a lot of charges to refute, and if they're true, a lot of lies to tell."

"That's what I hired you for, sweet cheeks." He laughed. "I'll pick you up before the hearing. Better be ready."

* * *

_**SirenFoxx**,never fear.I'm just saving the details on the Syndrome/Mirage relationship to be revealed a little later on._

_**Tazetta23**, hopefully you still find my story interesting. I sort of thought this chapter was a little bit slow. Or maybe it's just because I was tired when I was writing it. _

_**EclipseKlutz, **Nothing wrong with babbling. I do that myself! Haha._

_**FreddyK, **hopefully I didn't let you down. It's my life goal not to MarySue this one, so I'm counting on you to help me keep her in line._

_Alrighty then. Ta!_


	4. The Business of Things

_**DISCLAIMER: **Mel's mine, but Syndrome's not, and neither is anything else. Hardly seems fair. _

* * *

There was no reason that Melody Excelsior shouldn't have been a lawyer. Syndrome had his initial doubts about having someone who was barely legal hold his fate in their hands, needless to say. But he wouldn't be disappointed when they got into the conference room and the time came for her to…_perform_. 

Flamboyant? Yes. Professional? Surprisingly, yes. Emphatic? Most _definitely_. And that twisted sense of logic? Oh, _that _was something even _he _could barely compete with. Still, all due respect to her for being an old acquaintance and a formidable debater, he didn't feel as though the case stood much of a chance.

_Oh, poo, _Syndrome thought as he was sent outside of the conference room while the judge, Melody, and the prosecuting party continued with their final arguments. _Oh well, a few days in prison won't hurt. I'll break out anyway_.

Besides, at least luck was on his side at the moment. _Mr. Incredible _hadn't shown up, and that had saved them the pain of one of the superhero's grandiose speeches.

Having resigned himself to the prospect of a few _days _in jail...before breaking out, he decided to do something productive with the time before they came out with a decision. His new brilliant idea was a novel one. Killing Mr. Incredible had become less fun after _one _near-death experience, being a hero on his own was simply out of the question…

Being a run-of-the-mill supervillain seemed to be the only option. Besides, who cared about _supers _anyway? The public still hadn't revoked their pariah status, and it was all too mundane anyway. If he was going to be a fugitive from the law once he got out of jail…he might as well be a total pain in the process.

And what about Mel? She'd done him a pretty big favor, even agreeing to take the case. Sure, she'd never win, and this may totally ruin her reputation…the girl was always too nice. Still, she'd put her name on the line…and learned a bit too much about him in the process. There was only one thing to do with her…

She'd just have to stick with him in his new lair: a cheap knock-off of Nomanisan, but in working condition nonetheless. She might not be much of a lawyer, but judging by how eager she was to lie for a pretty penny, she'd make a good villain.

"We couldn't have her running off with all that she knows, now, could we?" he muttered to himself.

He looked up and saw the door of the conference room open, all of its former inhabitants bearing the same worn and sleepy expressions, as though they'd drained themselves in their arguing with one another…no good, no good.

"Well?" Syndrome asked as Melody came closer. "What's the word?"

Melody looked up, and a catty grin broke onto her face. "That two million, would that be in cash too?"

Syndrome unintentionally dropped his usual decorum and his eyes seemed to bug out of their sockets. "You little genius," he chuckled. _She did it?_

Sure, he was ecstatic that he had gotten off the hook, but that still wouldn't a damper on his new plan. He rather liked the idea of being an infamous supervillain now. Instead of driving her back to her studio downtown, he suggested that he take Melody to lunch. "You know, as a celebration."

"Sure," Melody shrugged. _I'm never one to turn down free food…_

Still, never one to enjoy being in debt, she went as cheap as she possibly could. They ate in relative silence, occasionally making an offhanded remark about the passersby that they spotted from their table by the window.

"So, _Mel_, how had things been since high school?" he asked, completely out of the blue, interrupting her comment about a passing tourist wearing neon-pink gaucho pants.

"Um.." she said noncommittally, "High school?"

"Yeah, Mr. Tomlinson was a real pain, wasn't he?" Syndrome added with a laugh. Melody wrinkled her eyebrows analytically.

_Mr. Tomlinson? My physics teacher? _She thought, racking her brain. _What could be possibly know about…_She stopped, nearly choking on the bite of food she had just swallowed.

"Buddy?" she muttered. "Buddy Pine?" her jaw dropped. "No way!"

"Way, babe," he laughed, "But don't let word get out. There _is _no Buddy Pine."

"This is crazy!" she said under her breath. "You knew who I was all along, and you knew who _you _were— " She cut herself off as she realized that she was rambling. "I honestly had no idea."

"That's why it's a _secret_ identity." He pointed out. "So, how's your brother—the one who hated me? What's his name again? _Sonny_?"

"Simon," she corrected. "He…uh…he isn't exactly _around _anymore." She said uncomfortably, tensing a considerable amount. "Something happened to him on a business trip. He never came back."

"Aw, that stinks. Anyhoo…" he started talking, but Melody wasn't paying much attention.

_'That stinks?' _she thought, _I tell him that my brother's dead, and he says that it STINKS? What's his problem—_

"Hel-LO!" he said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Are you interested in the offer or not?"

"Offer?" she said cluelessly. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure."

"Knew it," he said in an arrogant, sing-song voice. "Come on, let's get going." He got up, and Melody took the hint that she was supposed to follow. She followed him out to the car again, all the while mentally hitting herself countless times on the head for agreeing to a deal she hadn't even listened to.

_Not much of a genius now, am I, _she thought as they drove. She didn't pay attention to her surroundings until she realized that they had driven into some kind of tunnel. She looked around wildly, watching as the tiny blue light at the end came closer and closer. _Run, Melody! Run to the light! _She laughed darkly to herself.

The car came to a stop in the middle of what looked like an amphitheater, the door they had entered through closing behind them. She stepped out of the car, then whirled around with crossed arms.

"And we are _where_?" she snapped.

"I'd say we were _underground_," Syndrome replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Like, the subway?" she asked, looking up and whistling. The echo seemed rather mesmerizing to her, the reverb whistling through the room for longer than normal.

"More like _sub-_subway," he said after the echo had faded away.

"So this is what?" she asked, following him as he climbed up the steps and into an adjoining room filled with maps and machines. "Your _replacement _lair?"

"Dead on, sweetcheeks," he laughed. "So, here's the deal. You know a teensy bit _too much _about my situation, don't ya?"

"Oh, how cliché!" she sighed, slumping into one of the spinning chairs in the room. "The evil supervillain's gonna hold me prisoner because I've heard too much. Reads like a comic book, _dunnit_?"

"I wouldn't be holding you prisoner, per se." he said, gesturing with his hands. "That is, if you just stay willingly. Be my _assistant_. What do you say?"

"I _say _that you're not really going to give me choice," she said knowingly. "Looks like you've got yourself a new partner."

"Well, _partner_," Syndrome chuckled in mild amusement at the cynical attitude she took on. "Since you're stuck here indefinitely, let me give you the lowdown—"

"You mean what they haven't already said on the news?" she interrupted.

"Yeah, never can trust what they say," he said, launching into a full version of the past fifteen years, more detailed than he had ever described it before. He spent nearly half an hour describing Nomanisan when he noticed how impressed Melody looked upon hearing that he had his own island. After having mentioned the _fertile soil _for maybe the twelfth time, he cut himself short.

"Then _Mr. Incredible _came along in his shiny new suit—which, by the way, was nowhere near as good as the old one—and saved the day…insert retro them music here, the end." He said. He noticed that Melody looked rather dazed after having sat through his whole monologue, and decided to wake her up. He walked over to the table in the middle of the room and picked up and poster, brandishing it in her face. "May I present to you, the OMNIDROID 5000 – Version 12."

"HUH!" Melody said, suddenly popping up like a whack-a-mole out of her chair. _Now _she was paying attention again. "You're gonna try using them _again_?"

"Nah, I was just checking to see you didn't start napping on me," he laughed. "This is a prototype of the…" he cleared his throat. "The Lost Droid."

"_Lost Droid_?" Melody asked. "You _lost _one?"

"Eight, actually." He said. "They were stationed on satellites in space, and I set them to be launched…only there was some kind of glitch, and they never went off."

Melody raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, wondering who'd send eight multi-million dollar projects up into space and be able to _lose _them.

"It was an _early _plan, I wouldn't be dumb enough to do it now," he scoffed. "But now, my new plan! I call it K.I.S.S.!"

"Huh?" Melody asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Keep It Simple, Stupid," he said with a snide grin. "Keeping it old school and gassing the city. Works every time!"

"So now you're just bent on blowing up Metroville?" Melody asked. She could see why, though. After all, the people of Metroville _had _rejected him as a superhero. Sad story, actually. "So, how are you going to do this?"

"I don't know!" he said, as though she had just asked the most stupid question. "I'm an evil genius, I don't need to think it up just yet," he continued coolly, "The plan's gotta _stew_."

"Stew it till it rots, because it'll just sit in your head doing nothing," she sighed, rolling her eyes. She snatched a pencil and drafting paper and got to working. "Men," she huffed under her breath. "You can't make them do _anything _right."

* * *

Helen Parr was wrangling her youngest son, Jack-Jack, into a new change of clothes when her daughter walked in the door. "Hey, Vi!" she said brightly, trying to hold the baby down, "How was your day?"

"Mel didn't show up at the library today," she sighed. She and Melody met every week to talk, and to go look at some of the stuff Violet had been writing—part of being a publicist was that Mel helped Violet get work out there, and had gotten the younger girl's stuff put into editorials, periodicals, and publications of the like.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Helen said, handing the baby off to her husband as he walked into the room. "I know how much you look forward to hanging out with her." And it was true. Violet looked at Mel as an older sister of sorts, and Helen was glad that Violet had found a role model.

"Ugh, you don't get it!" Violet said, slumping down onto a chair. "She's skipped out before, but never without calling."

"Then call her," Bob suggested, his voice muffled because Jack-Jack's fist was stuffed into his mouth. Violet sighed and picked up the phone, dialing Melody's cell phone number.

"Hello?" Melody answered. _Good, _Violet thought, _at least she didn't die or anything._

"Yeah, it's Vi." She said. "Didn't catch you today,"

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry! I was a little bit.." she paused. 'Tied up." Violet caught a snippet of another voice in the background before Melody hung up.

'Weird…" Violet said, putting the receiver down.

"Does she do that often?" Helen asked.

"Not _exactly_," Violet said. "But she always gets really jumpy if she's hiding something. They ought to name something after her—call it _Excelsior Disorder_." She picked up her bag and left the room.

"Excelsior…" Helen muttered. That name definitely needed to be looked into.

* * *

_Review Replies:_

_Thanks,** pitbulllady, **for clarifying the timeframe thing. I knew it was something like that! **EclipseKlutz, **I dont really plan on doing TOO much with the Syndrome/Mirage pairing, but it's going to come up later on, and may or may not be a significant part of the story. **Ryou - slash - Bakura's Wench, **I'm not an expert on all that business and legal jargon either, haha. I used used what little I knew and tried to work with it. Anyhoo, "Sweet Cheeks" is going to be a recurring nickname. It was almost the title of the story before I decided it wasn't going to be JUST a comedy. **Gremblin, **and**Angoliel, **glad you like my characterization! **SirenFoxx, **if you like my story, I might suggest that you read "Comics, Cookies, and Revenge" by LejindaryBunny. That's what made me want to start writing mine in the first place. Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you like it! **DocOckGal, **Thanks foryour review!_

_That's all for now! Byeness!_


	5. Revelation and Revulsion

_**DISCLAIMER: **I own Melody. Yup. Thaaaaaaat's all folks!_

* * *

"I thought we _talked about this _already," Syndrome said through slightly gritted teeth. Melody had been _plotting _with him for days now, and had started to get obnoxious. "You're not _supposed _to go _anywhere!_" 

"We _talked about _me not being a prisoner, remember?" Melody whined. "I go get coffee EVERY Friday."

"We have a coffee machine," he grunted dismissively. Melody crossed her arms and stomped her pouting, pouting in a way reminiscent of a five-year-old.

"It's not _my _coffee!" she simpered. "Come on! What if I get withdrawal? What if I _die_? What are you gonna do with the body, huh! You'd get arrested for KILLING me if you dump the body, and then you'll go to court and go to jail! Because you don't have _me_—"

"ALL RIGHT!" he snapped, making a slicing motion with both hands. "Go get your coffee, but be back in_ an hour_. We have to go pick something up."

"_Pick something up_?" Melody asked as she was starting to walk away/ "That means we're gonna steal something, right?"

"You catch on quick, sweet cheeks," he laughed. "We're gonna swipe a disc with my records from the good ole bank building. Gotta unfreeze my assets, or we're broke."

"I thought you _had _money," Melody said, crossing her arms and turning around, although she was already near the door.

"Can't live off of _cash _forever," he shrugged.

"THAT'S why you kept paying me in cash?" Melody asked. "Oh brother…" She sighed and left.

* * *

Christmas cards, postcards, invitations…

Helen was going through tremendous piles of old correspondence, as she had been for days, trying to find a certain piece of paper. She gave a relieved sigh when she was finally holding it, and left the room, immediately sitting her husband and daughter down to talk, making sure Jack-Jack and Dash were occupied doing something else.

"I think we need to talk about something," Helen said carefully. She wasn't sure how to start in on the subject. She looked at her husband and decided he was the best one to start with. "Does Vi's friend Melody look familiar to you? Just a little?"

"Well, sure," Bob shrugged. "I mean, she's come by the house a million times. Every week, almost."

Helen rolled her eyes and switched attention over to her daughter. "Her name is Melody Excelsior." She confirmed. Violet just nodded suspiciously as her mother went back to talking to her father. She placed a postcard on the table, attached to which was a photograph of a family—a mother, a father, a young son and a baby daughter. "Excelsior. Wasn't that the name that the Paladino family took after being relocated?"

"The Paladino family?" Bob asked in disbelief. "You couldn't possibly mean what I think you do…"

"Melody R. Paladino," Helen said, pointing to one of the names under the photograph, which indicated that it belonged to the little girl, "And Simon J. Paladino."

The named set something off in Bob's mind, sending him back to that night where his life as a super began for the second time. He remembered a face of a man in the paper, announced missing…"Gazer Beam," Bob muttered in disbelief. "You mean…Melody is Gazer Beam's little sister?"

"Definitely," Helen nodded. Violet's eyes were wide in disbelief, but her parents continued to converse between themselves. "Remember, they were at our wedding? And they used to leave Melody at Lucius's house when the rest of them used to go…to work."

"Wait, wait, _wait_!" Violet interrupted. "You're kinda forgetting something: Mel isn't a super!"  
"She's right," Bob pointed out. "Gazer Beam's little sister had powers, remember? And all those tantrums…sometimes she was worse than Jack-Jack."

"She went into hiding, just like we all did," Helen said simply.

"We need to talk to her about this before we jump to any conclusions." Bob said. "Violet, do you know where we can get a hold of her?"

"Um…" Violet paused. "She goes to the coffee house every Friday at five."

Helen looked up at the clock. Four thirty. "We need to go."

"Um, honey?" Bob said hesitantly, nodding towards the kids' playroom.

"Oh, right," Helen sighed. "You two go. But make sure you make everything absolutely clear—"

"Can do, honey," Bob said as he and his daughter went out to the car. It started up with the familiar chugging sound, and they were off, everything but flying down the street. The drive to the coffee shop was oddly silent, both wondering how to go about talking to Melody, or if she'd even be there at all.

"She was acting funny," Vi pointed out, referring to her phonecall from nearly a week earlier. "And that was Monday. I haven't heard from her since then."

"I'm sure it's fine," Bob said patronizingly. Violet just rolled her eyes.

"Dad, it's Friday." She pointed out. "She can't just go incommunicado for four days and be _fine_."

"Well, we'll see what's going on and take it from there," he said, parking the car as they got out. They stepped into the building, and nearly ran right into the person they were looking for.

"Mel!" Vi said in surprise. "Oh, sorry." She sighed, noticing that after being run into, Melody had gotten a splash of coffee on her jeans.

"Nah, it's all right. How's it going, Vi?" she asked in an excited but slightly forced voice. "Mr. Parr, hi!"

"Listen, um…" he began. "Vi and I need to have a little talk with you, all right?'

"Now is sort of a bad time," Mel said, rubbing the back of her head uncomfortably. She probably only had a few minutes to get back before her hour was up, and Syndrome got impatient.

"It's important," Vi insisted. "Come on, sit in the car."

Vi dragged Melody over to the car, where they sat down, locked the doors, and rolled up all the windows.

"Are you kidnapping me or something?" she asked. "Swear, I'm starting to get a little bit claustrophobic in here. What's this about?"

"We figured it out," Bob said, "We know about your brother."

"My brother?" Mel asked, flinching slightly. "Um, sorry, I don't know—"

"Gazer Beam?" Violet piped in. Mel flinched again, biting her lip and looking nervous as though she had just been caught doing something wrong.

"You're a super, aren't you?" Bob said. Mel's eyes grew even wider, looking scandalized.

"I'm not a super," she said with a weak laugh. "God, do you really think I'm on of _those _freaks."

"We _are _those freaks," Violet said. Mel stopped suddenly and gaped as her younger friend suddenly disappeared so it seemed that her clothes were floating in the seat on their own. Bob, making sure that no one was looking, pulled her mask out of his jacket pocket and put it up to his face for a moment. Mel got the point.

"Mr. Incredible?" she said in disbelief. _Great_, she thought, _I help Syndrome get off the hook for almost killing Mr. Incredible, and now he's Vi's dad? Lucky me!_ "Look, you've got the wrong person! I'm not a super!"

"Just trust us on this one," Violet insisted. "If you are—"

"My brother died because he was a super," she said in a distant voice. She really wanted to avoid telling the story, but some things had to be said now that she was outed. "He was staying here in Metroville with me for a while, because…well, our parents didn't like the fact that he still tried to use his powers once in while—just for a kick! I mean, he didn't like hiding." She paused and looked up, hoping for some sympathy.

"I can relate," Bob nodded. "But…he was here in Metroville? The whole time?"

"Ever since I moved out here, at least." Melody said. "We stayed in the same apartment. I usually wouldn't ask questions when he got messages and left in the middle of the night, but one day, I caught him and told him not to go…we yelled at each other for a while, and he left."

"And?" Violet asked.

"He never came back." Melody said hoarsely. Then, she pulled out from her pocket a belt buckle with waving lines. "This was part of his super suit. It came mailed in a package without a return address on it. I've brought it everywhere with me ever since."

Bob bowed his head slightly. He didn't have it in him to say what had really happened to Gazer Beam, even though Melody deserved to know.

"We all used to know each other," Bob said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. "Back in Municiberg,"

"Wish I could remember," Melody shrugged. "But you can't tell anyone, so you have my word that my lips are sealed too. I'm not a super _anymore_, and that's all that matters." She got up out of the car and began to walk away when she turned around and peered back into the car. "You might want to be at the Metroville Bank building in about…half an hour. I hear things, you know." She patted the door of the car and ran off.

She drove so quickly back to the lair that even the police couldn't even have seen her, let alone get their sirens on fast enough to pull her over.

"You're _late_," Syndrome said, tapping his foot in annoyance. Melody looked up at the digital clock and rolled her eyes.

"By two minutes," she huffed dismissively. She hopped over to the passenger seat as Syndrome got into the driver's side. "Hurry up and drive if you're so picky about being on time."

He hit a button on the control panel, and the car transformed into a vehicle reminiscent of the Batmobile.

_You SO bit that one off of Mr. Incredible_, Melody thought.

She didn't have time to think much more before the car shot off with a rather loud _voom _of the engine. She gripped the sides of her chair tightly.

_You gotta say something to him_, she thought once she had grown accustomed to the speed at which they were traveling. _Gotta tell him sooner or later._

"How about later?" she muttered.

"What was that?" Syndrome boomed, struggling to be heard over the roar of the engine.

"I didn't say anything!" she yelled defensively.

They pulled up in the back lot behind the bank. They didn't need to worry about employees or live guards, seeing as they always emptied out the building early on Fridays, and it was dark pretty early anyway. They kicked open the bars of a vent and went in, crawling and looking rather silly until they finally dropped into the main lobby. Now, Melody had to settle for being the sidekick and following behind him.

It seemed that the disc they were looking for was somewhere on the top floor, and the elevators were shut off for the weekend, so they up the stairs.

"I'm a super." Melody said suddenly, just wanting to get it out and over with. She clenched her teeth.

"Yeah, sure, you're real super, all right?" Syndrome chuckled.

"No, I mean—"

"Look, be quiet, or you'll set something off—"

"Syndrome—"

"Whatever you're yapping about, it can wait until—"

"WOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME?" she shrieked. Suddenly, the entire hallway shook, and the Plexiglas of a small nearby window shattered. Syndrome whirled around and stared shrewdly at her, eyes narrowed.

"You're a _super_?" he said in an infuriated tone, "And you just had to find out _now_?"

"I've known since I was two years old," she said in a pained voice.

"What the—" he yelled. Melody flinched and jumped back, nearly falling off of the step she was standing on. "The whole time I knew you, you were a _super_? You know what I _do _to supers!" His face was starting to turn a ripe shade of red.

"Huh?" Melody said in an innocent voice.

"GOD! You're forgetful too? Nomanisan, Mr. Incredible, Gazer Beam, blowy-uppy—ring any bells to you, freak?" He waved a hand in her face. Melody looked dazed as she mouthed the words _Gazer Beam_.

_He was one of the ones who died on the island_, she thought. _That's where he went…that's why he never came back! He…_

"You know what, this is gonna have to wait, because _we _have got things to do!" he whirled around with a swoosh of his cape and got back to going up the stairs.

They reached a crossroads. In one direction, they could continue up the stars. In the other was a dead end, however, which was blocked off by a large cement barricade that bore, in bright red lettering 'TOP SECRET: NO ADMITTANCE"

"Oh, let's celebrate!" Syndrome said sarcastically. "I can't blow up something that big—"

Melody nudged him out of the way. "Plug your ears." She said in a monotonous voice. Syndrome did as she said, and still managed to hear a piercing shriek emitted from her throat over the rumbling of the collapsing wall. The two coughed upon breathing the dust and debris, but once the dust settled, they noticed a long hallway, stark grey and littered with pillars. At the end of the hallways was a locked cabinet.

"Oh, how quaint!" Syndrome said, patting her mockingly on the head. She grimaced. "A super that's actually good for something! Keep being useful and I might decide to keep you." He walked off toward the cabinet with Melody a step behind. With a few fervent tugs, he got the lock off and pulled out a disc.

There was the sound of footsteps coming up the steps, and the two looked at each other in momentary panic. "Roof." Syndrome mouthed silently, and they ran off before they got caught. They were two floors away form the roof, and once they got up, they crouched behind the large metal chimney pipe to wait and see if they were being followed.

The door burst open again, out from which emerged a group of figures clad in red…

"The Incredibles," Syndrome muttered in disdain.

"We should run, we have a clear shot for the door," Mel said quietly. Syndrome just laughed.

"Nuh-uh, sweet cheeks, we're gonna say hello!" He stood up from his hiding spot with a loud laugh, pulling Melody up with her.

Mr. Incredible looked at them in a moment of shock. Melody had been working with _him_?

"Surprise, surprise!" Syndrome laughed, dragging Melody out so they were standing in the middle of the roof. "Looks like we've brought the whole flock!"

"Melody?" Mr. Incredible asked. Melody looked fearful.

"No! It's not like that, I swear!" she yelled, "I swear, I was going to tell you everything! I never—"

"Oh!" Syndrome laughed darkly. "My little _super _has been playing both sides? Talk about a double agent! You're _good, _freak, because I had no idea!" he glared over at the supers on the other side of the roof. "But she's a freak anyway…You can have her!" He practically threw her in their direction, not giving her a chance to brace herself.

Out of a reflex, Mr. Incredible jumped out of the way, only realizing that there was no one behind him. He whirled around in time to see Melody hurtling over the edge of the roof.

Violet ran to look over the edge at her. "MEL!" she yelled, peering overt he edge. The rest of the family, except for Dash, who was too short to see over, looked over and sighed in relief when they saw that she hadn't fallen to the ground….she was just dangling there by hanging on the edge of an awning, about five floors down.

"HELP!" she yelled. "Somebody, get me up! Help!"

"Mom, help her!" Vi yelled in a panicked voice. Elastigirl leaned over and stretched her arm as far as it would go, and Melody struggled until she had a good grip on her hand. She pulled her up carefully, and Melody climbed back over the railing, panting heavily as the cold air stung her burning cheeks. She looked up and saw that Syndrome had stood by nonchalantly when all of this took place.

She walked over to him, glaring darkly. "You little RAT!" she shrieked, slapping him abruptly across the face with a gratifying _smack_. "You pushed me!"

"I would've been able to stop you before you hit the ground. I was just biding my time!" he said, rolling his eyes. "And you don't even _slap _hard…" Melody just shook her head.

"You didn't seen to be in much of a hurry to get over there," she muttered.

"Oh, GOD, you're just like Mirage—"

"No!" Melody yelled. "There's one TINY detail here that's different. You _pushed _me! You _pushed _me, and you didn't give a damn whether or not I became a splat on the sidewalk, because it would have been a nice _shock _for _the Incredibles_, right? Well, guess what! I'm _out, _Syndrome."

"Mel!" he said in authoritative tone. Upon seeing that it would get him nowhere, he lowered it into a more simpering voice. "_Sweet cheeks_—"

"Oh, so when you want something from me, it's _sweet cheeks_," she laughed darkly. "But otherwise, it's _freak, _right?"

Syndrome didn't know how or why…but he let all five of them get away, standing mute in one spot on the roof. _Lost another one_, he thought. But somehow, it seemed more than that.

Meanwhile, the Parrs had brought Melody home and placed her at a temporary spot on the couch. They had gotten a friend of theirs (Melody, being in the stupor she was, didn't catch his name) to babysit, and once he had left, they focused their attention on her.

"Get some sleep." Helen insisted. "We'll move you into the room with Vi tomorrow, but you should just rest for now. You've had a long day,"

"Thanks," Mel said weakly, shaking slightly.

Oh, it had been a long day, all right. A _very _long day.

* * *

_A/N's_

_Just one quick reply for now!_

_**EclipseKlutz: **yes, it's a bit weird how he lost the droid, didn't he? Remember that:wink: _


	6. Initiation

**Disclaimer: **_If I owned anything worth bragging about, I would have bragged. Well, I'm not bragging. Hence, I don't own anything. _

* * *

Melody woke up, still on the Parrs' couch, and still in her clothes from the night before. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, standing up and squinting to avoid being hit by the sunlight.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Helen said cheerily. "Just in time for breakfast."

Before Melody could insist she wasn't hungry, Helen had gotten Dash to put up an extra place setting at the table. Not wanting to look ungrateful, she felt obliged to take a seat with the rest of the family.

"So…" she began uncomfortably. "Mr. Parr, I just wanted to say thank you,"

"Call me Bob," he laughed. "You're going to be staying here, might as well stop being so formal,"

"I wouldn't want to be any trouble—"

"And we wouldn't want you getting kidnapped," Helen said seriously.

"So, you knew about your powers the _whole _time, Mel?" Violet asked.

"Yeah," she laughed. "My parents even gave me my _superhero name_. It's Sonik."

"Oh, really?" Bob laughed. "From what I remember, they called you crybaby." And it was true. Not aware of the fact that her screams could shatter windows, little baby Melody had always cried her eyes out to get her way.

"Well, You can't be a superhero wearing that, can you?" Helen said with a sneaky grin.

"Honey, no…" Bob said.

"I just gave Edna a call!" Helen said. "If she's gonna be part of the team, she needs the right—"

"Ensemble," Violet finished.

"Exactly." Helen smiled. "So everyone eat up. We've gotta go. She doesn't like her clients being late."

"Aw, mom!" Dash whined. "I don't _like _Edna. She's freaky!"

"Dash." Helen chided, "We need to get your supersuit fixed anyway."

After much whining, repetitive rounds of 'are we there yet?', countless stops to change Jack-Jack's diapers, and Dash being completely unable to sit still, they all arrived at Edna's villa.

The short woman with a heavy accent paced around Melody, circling her like a vulture.

"Eh-heh." She muttered. "Twenty three years old, yes?"

"Um…yes, ma'am." Melody said, digging a toe into the ground.

"_Yes ma'am_," Edna mimicked. "You're not in boot camp, girl. Now, don't be so stiff!" Melody rolled her shoulders back and tried awkwardly to relax. "Eh-heh," Edna said again. "Your parents never fed you." She said shortly.

Melody snapped to attention once again as Edna came closer, unexpectedly pinching a spot on Melody's side, eliciting a yelp.

"At least she's in shape…" Edna muttered." Ok, all right, sit down!" she said, motioning to everyone. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"Um…" Melody said hesitantly. She thought back at least ten years, to the least time she had even _thought _about being a super. She thought about all of the supersuits from the _glory days_. She thought about her parents, her brother…

"Can we model it on my brother's first suit?" she said, an image very clear in her head. "Fingerless gloves, red and white with gold, utility belt, cape—"

"NO CAPE!" they all said in unison, making Melody flinch.

"Ok, no cape…" she said. "But, you know…try to keep everything else the same."

"Eh-heh. Not very original, are we?" Edna said, snatching a folio out from beneath her coffee table and rifling through the papers in it. After about two minutes, she finally pulled one out and put it down onto the table. "This one, you mean?" she said.

Melody peered at the paper and saw the sketch of her brother's suit. "Exactly!" she said excitedly. "You're a genius!"

"You think I don't know this?" Edna asked, pulling a measuring tape out of her pocket and whipping it with an oddly ominous snap. She pulled Melody up to her feet and quickly measured her. "You know where the idea for your brother's suit came from?" Melody shook her head. "Of course you don't You're too young. Your mother _insisted _that she and your brother match. Very quaint. It was from when he was twelve, your mother was attached, protective— self-explanatory. "

"Oh," Melody said, when given an opportunity to reply.

"Yes, it was cute on your brother, I suppose, before he decided to, how you say, _pump iron_." Edna sighed. "Moving on, you have nearly the same measurements as your mother did for the suit. A few adjustments, you can wear hers. Wait here, I make adjustments for you, dahling." With that, she scurried off, leaving Melody and the Parr's in her living room.

"Well, she's…interesting." Melody said with a slight wince on her face. "I guess I should be thankful, though."

Violet let out a laugh. "You're scared of her!" she laughed. "_Yes ma'am_." She echoed

"Hey, the lady's freaky," Melody said in a lower voice.

They ended up sitting there for two hours. Violet and Dash had started breathing on the glass coffee table to get fog on it so they could play tic-tac-toe. Helen sat with Jack-Jack, trying to keep him from running around and wrecking anything. Bob had fallen asleep, and Melody was peeking through the papers on the coffee table to see what other suits Edna had designed.

Suddenly, Edna's voice buzzed through the intercom. "Ready," she said impatiently. "Hurry, hurry, hurry! You need to try on."

Melody flinched and got up, running through the door on the other side of the room with a rushed muttering of "be right back!"

The Parr family waited in rapt attention when Edna burst out.

"Ought to be glad I had what the girl was looking for," she said, pacing back and forth like an army officer addressing their troops. "Had her mother's suit stashed away for years, she's lucky I had it to work with. You'll find that I've made some _modifications _to it, which she'll inform you about once she's learned how to use them." She had a snide, Cheshire cat grin on her face, which suggested that she had thrown in features that Melody, may never have even thought about. "I also took the liberty of designing her insignia, seeing as she put no thought into it…but _enough _talking, yes?"

"Yes," Dash groaned under his breath, for which he received a disciplinary pinch from his mother.

Edna, not having heard, opened the door and barked out an order for Melody to come out.

She stepped out gingerly in her suit, looking down at it consciously. She was in a skintight white bodysuit with red boots, and gold fingerless gloves. As per her request, she had a black utility belt around her waist.

"Um, Edna?" she said, looking down at the insignia emblazoned across her chest. "What's with the 'S'?"

"Yeah, _S!_" Dash said. "Like Syndrome?"

"As in _Sonik, _you silly boy!" Edna snapped. "I took the liberty of finding out your name, your mother had it on file. You don't like?" she had a threatening glint in her eye.

"Oh no, it's great! I love it to pieces, I swear!" Melody said, jumping back slightly. "Just…just curious."

"And the mask?" Edna said. "Put it on, put it on!"

Melody, who had been holding a hand behind her back, put on her red face mask and grinned. "Tops off the ensemble, _n'est-ce pas_?"

"Love it," Vi said simply.

"It's so…girly." Dash said, cocking his head to one side.

"It's _feminine_," Helen corrected, "And feminine is good! I'm all for girl power."

"One thing I'd like to add, just to make it mine," Melody said. She ran back into the other room and grabbed her other clothes, taking special care in pulling a small gold object out of her jacket pocket.

"Your brother's belt buckle." Bob nodded, watching as she lopped it onto the utility belt. "It goes well."

"Yes, you young people these days, always needing to accessorize," Edna said impatiently. "Now, out, out, out! I have other clients today!"

When they had gotten back to the Parr's house, Melody had gone into the bathroom and put her suit on, looking at herself.

"Uh huh," she muttered, checking how it looked from behind. "Maybe white makes my butt look big—"

"Melody?" Bob called out from the living room. She came out of the bathroom quickly to find the entire family in their suits, crowding around a display screen. "Good, you're suited up. We have a job. There's a bomb set by the monorail track. Come look at the video feed."

Melody walked over and looked at the screen. "Syndrome." She muttered distastefully, seeing the video of the large box with blinking lights and a bright red analog clock. "Let's go. Just get us there!" she said loudly.

"But what about Jack-Jack?" Helen said. "We can't just leave him."

"If you insist, I'll help." Said a voice in the doorway. Everyone looked up in surprise.

"Lucius!" Bob said fondly. "You remember Melody—"

"Not to be rude, but can the introductions wait?" Melody whined. They all nodded in consent and ran off.

"How do you know what this is?" Helen asked as they were all finally driving off in the crowded car.

"It's a gas bomb." Melody said simply. "I would know, I designed it."

"You _told him _how to make that thing?" Vi asked in disbelief. "_You _came up with a plan to flood Metroville with tear gas. Is this supposed to make sense at any point?"

"Well, I didn't think he would _use _it!" Melody said defensively as they arrived at the destination. They ran forward and stood in front of the box.

"I'll just break it. Simple enough," Bob said, raising his fists into the air ready to smash it. He was ready to bring them down when Helen stepped in front of him.

"It's a _gas _bomb, honey." She chided. "You smash it, it's as bad as setting it off."

"Plus, it's built into a concave in the wall," Violet said. "You bust it, the whole station falls down."

"So, we have to hack into it." Bob said. Then, he looked down at the analog clock. "…in thirty seconds…"

"'Scuse me," Mel—_Sonik_—said, nudging her way to the front. "Stand back and plug your ears."

The rest of them did as she said, and Sonik gave a relatively weak yell, sending a shock of piercing waves straight for where she knew the main control was. With a weak crackle of sparks and smoke, the analog clock died out, and the lights shut off. She turned around and gave the rest of them the all-clear.

"I'll take the gas tank," Mr. Incredible said, punching his way inside and yanking the small barrel of, holding it cautiously under his arm.

They all turned around when they heard something coming, Without a word, they five of them ran off back into the night, just missing Syndrome's entrance. He, however, noticed the last figure leaving, all in white and red.

"Who the hell is that?" he muttered.

The arrival back to the Parr household was a proud one. When they were back in the safety of their own home, they all patted her on the back.

"Your first real job!" Helen laughed. "Good one."

"Yeah, almost good enough to make everyone forget that _I _practically planned it in the first place." She sighed guiltily. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Just set up disasters so I can fix them! _Gee, _no one's ever done _that _before."

"Hey, you saved the day, made up for it, and that's what matters." Bob said. "Now, back to where we were before we had to leave…Lucius!"

"Ugh, thank god," he said, carrying Jack-Jack into the room at arms-length. 'The kid's been catchin' fire, smokin', doin' these weird things that I don't even wanna talk about—"

"Aww, did Jack-Jack make any trouble? Yes, he did! Oh, yes, he did!" Helen said, scooping up her younger son and making cooing noises at him.

"Annnnnnyway," Bob said, embarrassed. "Lucius, this is Melody."

"Melody who?" he asked, looking at the girl as she took off her mask. "Holy…this ain't Mel Paladino—"

"It's Melody Excelsior now," Mel laughed. "Or Sonik on the job."

"Lucius Best," he said, shaking her hand. "Frozone. So, you're the same drooling little crybaby kid I used to have to watch over? You're a little taller than I remember."

"Fifteen years can do that to a person," she laughed.

"Well, kid," Lucius said, nodding in approval. "Welcome to the club."

* * *

_Review Replies:_

_**gargoylesama, **glad you liked me throwing Gazer Beam in! I was letting a friend of mine read over some of the story for me prior to posting it, and she just asked, "Um...Vicky? Who's Gazer Beam?"_

_**EclipseKlutz, **I wouldn't have reacted as well as Mel did in her situation. I like writing how she reacts to things, though, because I like writing her being sarcastic about things. haha_

_**pitbulllady, **well, if they ever DO decide to "couple up", so to speak, it won't be for a while. The fact that she's a Super kinda puts a damper on that. But there'll be plenty of lead-in to it if they ever do decide to get together. It won't be just. "I hate you! bad bad bad!...wanna make out?"_

_**AttackingHentaiChibisLoveFluff, **there'll be fluff eventually! but we have to get all of the drama/blood&gore/fighting out of the way first._


	7. The Mistakes Keep Coming

**DISCLAIMER: **_I own nothing except Melody...and her great outfit. _

* * *

"May I introduce you to my _new friend_!" Syndrome bellowed, an insect-like robot dropping from an aircraft in the sky, right into the empty lot—littered with nearly mile-deep potholes and mile-_high _piles of rocks end debris—that had served as a battleground now for the last hour. Syndrome had obviously had time to come up with quite a few new _toys_.

Unfortunately, Mr. Incredible could take all of these _new friends _on by himself. Seeing as they weren't exactly very large, one single toss and they were battered beyond recognition. This one, being the last trick Syndrome had up his sleeve for the moment, was no difference. Mr. Incredible hurled it in its creator's direction, pinning him to the ground.

"Got you now!" Incredible laughed as he ran over.

Suddenly, there was a scream, and everyone looked around to see that Melody had tripped into a pothole. They could barely hear her mumbled apology for distracting them as Syndrome went off in a bang of heat and rocket-boot smoke, laughing "So long, suckers!"

"He got away!" Incredible said in annoyance.

"I'm sorry…" Mel said shrugged. "I…I didn't mean it."

* * *

Tired of having to wear the same thing over and over, as any girl in her early twenties would be, Melody decided it was high time to get back to her apartment.

"I'm just going to pick up some things, and I'll come right back!" she insisted, upon seeing the Parr's shocked faces when she announced that she was leaving. She quite frankly felt very flattered that someone actually wanted her around. Ever since she had moved out of her parents' house, she had thrown herself too much into her work to actually have time to get close to anyone.

She took a taxi to her apartment, knowing that her car would be there still and she'd be able to drive herself back. She climbed up the steps, and passed the main office.

"Gotta remind them that I'm moving out," she muttered to herself. "Neh, I'll do it later."

She scurried up the flights of steps, not being one who liked elevators anyway. She turned the key to her door and pushed it open. She kicked through the pile of mail that had been put through the mail slot, making a mental note to herself to pick it up later. She looked into her kitchen, and furrowed her eyebrows at what she saw.

The sliding glass door leading out the balcony was open, and she knew for a fact that she wasn't the one who had opened it.

"Uh oh, someone's in trouble," said a voice behind her. Melody whirled around to see the door move and slam shut, revealing a now all too familiar head of red hair.

"Syndrome." She said. "Resorting to breaking and entering now?"

"You're a dirty little turncoat, sweet cheeks," he said, crossing his arms with a confident smirk. "Whadja tell 'em so far?"

"Nothing." She said stoically.

"Nothing?" he raised an eyebrow at this. His expression just screamed, _She's lying_.

"Yeah, _nothing_," Melody repeated. "D-d-did I st-stu-stutter or something?"

"_Good girl_," he said, reaching out, presumably to give her a derogatory pat on the head, but she swatted his hand away. He looked rather amused at this action, and even more amused at the seething retort that followed.

"_Keep your hands off the goods, _all right?" Melody snapped.

"Or what?" Syndrome chuckled, "Gonna get Mr. Incredible to _give me a good talking-to_?" Melody just glared, knowing that he may as well have been right. "

"What are you here for?" Melody snapped. "If you don't start talking, I'll—"

"Chill, babe," he smirked. "I just wanted to tell ya…I know you fell on purpose."

"What?" Melody snapped. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Earlier today, you gave me a clear getaway. Thanks for that," he added with a wink. "Melody just rolled her eyes. "Aw, come on. You know you did it so I wouldn't get turned in."

"Yeah, right—"

"If it wasn't true, you'd be having me turned in at this very second," he smirked knowingly.

"Oh-hoh! Looks like you're an expert on me, now, doesn't it?" Melody laughed sarcastically. "I'll scream."

"What, so the police can come? Boo hoo, sweet cheeks."

"I'll bring this whole building down." She growled threateningly. "One yell, and this place is history. You'll be stuck in here."

"So will you," Syndrome pointed out.

"I'm one of the _good guys _now, remember?" she pointed out. "Anything for the cause."

"There's too many _innocent people _in here," he said dismissively. At this, Melody's gaze dropped. He'd called her bluff. "You're a _good guy, _sweet cheeks." He reminded her. "Too good."

"What do you want?" she sighed in resignation.

"Just what you did today," he answered in a sing-song voice, "Cover for me."

"And if I _don't_?" Melody asked defiantly.

Syndrome cocked his head and narrowed his eyes dramatically. "You don't want to know." Melody bit her lip and shook her head.

"I need air," she said breathlessly, putting her hand to her chest and stepped outside onto the balcony. Her eyes darted around deviously, and suddenly, she leaned over the railing and yelled, "HELP! Somebody—"

She felt herself being pushed from behind, and found herself dangling over the edge of her balcony, Syndrome holding her wrists as she kicked her legs wildly in the air.

"Listen, I don't wanna drop you," he said frankly, "It would make too much of a mess, and without you, I don't have a cover—"

Melody swung her leg up, giving herself the leverage to get herself back onto the balcony and assuming a fighting stance.

"Oh, aren't we talented?" he said in a faux-patronizing tone. "But too bad you're such an _amateur _at this hero stuff. I don't want a fight."

"You don't?" Melody asked, keeping her hands up.

"Nah," Syndrome chuckled. "You _really _don't see it, do you?"

"See _what_?" Melody snapped in frustration.

Syndrome clicked his tongue. "As we speak, I've got five droids—_real _fighting ones this time—at the _Parr residence_, and you can't do anything about it. How does it feel?"

"How does _this _feel!" she roared, jumping up and kicking him across the head hard enough to leave him dazed for a moment, long enough for her to slip away. Then, she ran off and drove as quickly as she could back to the house, where she found everything just as Syndrome said—the yard was littered with metal debris, the remains of four droids, but one refused to go down. Violet, Helen, and Bob were already suited up and fighting outside, but obviously tired.

"Where's Dash and Jack-Jack?" she yelled, rushing over to help.

"In the house!" they all yelled back distractedly.

"Oh," She gave off a loud shriek without warning, ridding one droid of its legs with a crippling crash as the metal bent and snapped. Immediately, it began rolling like a bowling ball towards her.

Violet began to run over, "Mel—"

"I got this one!" Melody snapped in utmost concentration. She ran around in a seemingly unmindful pattern, until suddenly, she stood still, grounding herself and waiting for it the come towards her. The droid began to go faster and faster, and was barely a foot away when Melody jumped out of its path. Its momentum carried it crashing straight into a phone pole.

Melody had a smiled for a moment, having polished off the last of them, but immediately crouched down, clutching her arm and wincing.

"Mel?" Violet said, running up to her. "You're bleeding!"

"Didn't jump in time," she laughed weakly. "It'll fix itself sooner or later. C'mon." she stood up. "We'd better get inside now. I don't think we should trust Dash watching Jack-Jack. I—"

"Mel!" Violet yelled at the same time her father yelled, "Sonik!"

Syndrome hit Mel hard across the back of her head, and she slumped unconscious into his arms. He shot upward with a puff of smoke and laughed, "Sorry! I'll be _borrowing _your little sidekick for a while, but you know where to find me!"

He flew off, leaving the family standing on the ground, calculating the next move…

* * *

**A/N's and Review Replies**

_Uh oh, Melody's gone and gotten herself kidnapped. Wherever will they go! Thinking caps, reviewers, this shouldn't be too hard!_

_**HorseloverIII, **you read the whole story in record time! You're definitely my most persistent new reviewer!_

_**EclipseKlutz, **I love Edna too! I think I might put in another cameo later on, once everyone's done their share of fighting and whatnot. And the booty-mirror scene was in tribute to that one shot of Elastigirl looking at her behind in a mirror at some point in the movie. _

_**DocOckGal, **the romance comes later! Don't want to jump into it without appropriate lead-in._

_**Angoliel, **thanks! I always thought that action sequences were a bit of my weak spot, but I guess I've improved a bit._

_**AttackingHentaiChibisLoveFluff, **the fluff will come eventually! The fluff is just coming along a little bit slowly as of yet. I guess I haven't been in a very fluffy mood lately. Need inspiration!_

_Sorry infinitely for the delay in this update! FORGIVE ME!_


	8. Leverage

_Im finally back! Ok. So, just for a quick refresher, Melody is mine, nothing else. Ok? Ok. _

* * *

Cold, artificial light, and a lot of metal. 

These were the first things Melody sensed as she came to. She was in a cot in an unfamiliar room, and she rubbed her eyes trying to get acquainted with the dim light. Eventually, once her eyes had focused themselves, she noticed a tiny shaded across the room, and beyond it, a forest of trees and bright color.

"Ugh…" she groaned, rubbing at the back of her head. The last thing she remembered was standing the Parrs' front yard, being hit across the neck, and now she was here. "Where am I?"

"Welcome, sweet cheeks," Syndrome laughed raucously as he walked in through a set of sliding metal doors, "To my humble abode, Nomanisan Island."

"I thought you said you abandoned this place," she grumbled, still slightly disoriented and suffering from a bad headache. She began shaking her head fervently and rubbing her eyes, trying to gain her bearings. For a minute, she looked as if she would either be sick or faint again, but she steadied herself and continued staring at Syndrome through narrowed suspicious eyes.

"And so I did," Syndrome said, striding over confidently. "But now, I'm _back_, and I've remodeled! You like?"

"Yeah, real prison-cell chic," she said.

"I'm giving you _one _chance, Mel. For old times sake," he said with an expression halfway between a smirk and a grimace. "You double-crossed me once. Anyone _else _would have found themselves at the wrong end of the lethal weapon of my choosing, but _you _are getting another shot."

"Yippee! Well, isn't _this _a freaking bowl of Lucky Charms," Mel said sarcastically.

"No cop-outs, Mel. You're with me or against me." The look on his face showed that he meant business this time.

"I didn't think the _S _stood for _stupid_," she said, rolling her eyes. Syndrome just smiled wickedly.

"Oh, like I've never heard _that _one before?" he asked. "You could try being more creative, sweet cheeks."

"What are you still playing at?" Melody snapped, standing up and taking crooked, almost drunken-seeming step forward, "You're on the losing end, and you know it, Syndrome! You can't win against them!"

"Yes, I _can_! I'm _going _to win." Syndrome snapped venomously, "But if I can't, neither can they…because I've got _you_."

"What do I have to do with anything?" she retorted, narrowing her eyes. She paused, tensing in comprehension. "Oh, I get it. So what? You're gonna take a video of me dangling over the mouth of the volcano, begging for my life, then hope they show up and—" The radar device in the room started going off with a loud beeping noise, and the video feed zoomed in closely on a plane. The picture was blurry, having been taken from such a distance, but it was still clear that the plane was being piloted by figures clad in red. "No!" Melody yelled, followed by a rather unladlylike chain of expletives which amused Syndrome to no end.

"Oh, _look_," he laughed, grabbing Melody by the arm and dragging her over to the computers, "They've arrived even sooner than I expected. I guess _good guys_ are always this punctual, aren't they…Let's say howdy…_partner._" Suddenly, he grabbed a hold of her, clapping a hand over her mouth, then, with his free hand, pressed the unlit blue button that initiated the videophone. Elastigirl's face fizzled into focus over the video feed, the rest of the family standing in the background.

Melody mumbled futilely behind Syndrome's hand as she heard the Parr family cry out in surprise upon seeing her in such a precarious position. The most stinging reaction was Violet's, whose face suddenly turned an angry shade of red.

"I seem to have picked up something you're looking for!" Syndrome laughed sardonically. "Land here and give yourselves up, or else—OUCH!"

Melody had bitten down hard on his hand, nearly tearing through his glove. He pulled his hand away with a yelp, giving her a brief but ample opportunity. "Don't land!"Melody yelled desperately, looking at the video feed. "Do you hear me? DON'T LAND! He's using me to get to you! Go back now—"

Syndrome recovered from the surprise of being bitten and shoved Melody out of the way, hard enough to send her sprawling on the ground. "I'm warning you, _Incredible," _he growled, shaking his bitten hand in what would have been a comical way if not for the gravity of the situation. "It's not _her _I've got a bone to pick with. It's you. But she's _leverage, _see? And I know how to _use _leverage. I'll get rid of her if I need to…see, unlike you, I'm not afraid to make the necessary sacrifices." He smirked and pressed the blue button again, letting the video feed die out.

"I'm not going to help you hurt them, you pathetic little—"

"Oh god, what _is _this?" Syndrome interrupted with a groan. "All of this freaking melodrama came straight from a soap opera, didn't it?" he laughed loudly. "Get it, _Melo-_dy? _Melo-_drama?"

"Oh, you're a laugh riot." She said sarcastically. Inwardly, she admitted that she would have laughed at the horrible pun, but she knew it was really not the time to stop being serious. "And I bet you know _all _about watching soap operas, don't you? Because your life is just one big sob story." She uncrossed her arms and balled them into fists at her sides. "I'm _warning _you—"

"Oh-hoh!" Syndrome laughed, pretending to cower in fear. "You're _warning _me! What are you gonna do, _cry _at me? Or _scream_?" he added with a smirk. "With the reverb in this room, you'd be lucky if your screaming didn't blow your own brains out too, you little banshee—"

"Let her go!"

Both of them looked up, distracted from their argument by a voice coming from the doorway.

"Mr. Incredible! Don't—"

But before Melody could get her complete admonition out to them, Syndrome had pointed his Zero-Point ray at them and lifted all four of them until they were suspended in mid-air.

"You brought the whole family?" Syndrome laughed, 'I thought you learned your lesson about that _last _time—"

"Syndrome!" she yelled, interrupting what would have most likely become a tedious evil-genius monologue. "Listen, you leave them alone…and…" she paused. She had no leverage. She had nothing he wanted, did he? No, no…

"Not much of a negotiator, are you?" Syndrome laughed. "At least you were good for me in court, babe."

Mr. Incredible, though unable to talk, looked at Melody in confusion.

Melody's gaze shifted desperately, "Don't listen to him—" but in an instant, she had been frozen in a beam of blue light as well.

"You're _all _in trouble," Syndrome laughed, tossing them all into a cell and closing the solid metal doors behind them. They all feel in a tangle to the ground as the ray was no longer pointed at them. Mr. Incredible rushed at the doors, only to find that they didn't give at all.

He turned around, then looked at Melody. "In _court_?" he asked. She winced and stood up. "You mean, it was _you _who got that maniac off the hook?"

"I didn't know what was going on, all right?" she said uncomfortably. "What was I supposed to do? I mean, I'm twenty-three, I live in an apartment, and Ihave _dreams_. Was I supposed to turn down two million dollars because it was the _right thing to do_?"

"_I _would have!" Mr. Incredible said.

"Well, what do you want, a cookie?_You've _had practice at being a selfless superhero, but I'm used to looking out for _myself_, and nobody else" Melody said defensively. "I didn't _know _about what he did before! I didn't _know _about what happened to my brother, or what he did to you. I knew that _I _needed the money, and that it was my big chance to get a reputation. I _know _that this is my fault, okay?" She slammed her fist against the wall and squealed angrily.

Violet flinched at melody's reaction. She had never seen Melody angry. She'd never seen her anything less than happy. Now, she was really starting to see the human in Melody rather than the role model.

"It's…it's not your fault," Mr. Incredible muttered apologetically. "I can't blame you—"

"Oh yeah, I've put all of you guys in danger, and it could have been avoided, but it's _not _my fault?" Melody snapped in bitter sarcasm. She rolled her shoulders and looked upward. "But I can fix it."

"Let's not do anything yet." Violet said, trying to be logical. "We're all kinda _crazy _right now—"

"That's not exactly a recent development, honey," Elastigirl said lightheartedly. "But you're right. Let's just cool our heads for a while, and see where that takes us."

Melody agreed mutely, but as she sat in the corner, staring down at herself in her supersuit, she already had her mind made up how she was going to get them out of this one…it was just a matter of waiting for the right time.

* * *

**A/Ns and Review Replies**

**Malculata : **Ill be delving more into how Syndrome survived later on, but for now...but for now until maybe 3 chapters from here, youll just have to wait. P

**AttackingHentaiChibisLoveFluff : **The fluff will show up in maybe 2 chapters from now. Im still laying out how my chapters are going to be separated


	9. What Makes A Hero

"Mel?"

"Simon always told me to embrace what I can do with my powers." Melody said quietly, hardly moving her lips – though thanks to her powers, her voice was just as clear as if she'd been speaking normally. "_Everything _I can do. Do you see any surveillance cameras?"

"One," Mr. Incredible responded in a muffled voice, following Melody's lead so their plan would be imperceptible. "Over your head – you have your back to it."

"_Play along_," Melody mouthed silently. She drew a steady breath before her tone shifted entirely. "You're all _pathetic_!" Melody yelled shrilly, making a point to raise her voice enough to be heard outside. "I did what I had to do – that's how you survive, _Incredibles_! And I'm _done_ playing hero with you!"

Melody raised her eyebrows – Mr. Incredible seemed dumbfounded, when he was _supposed_ to be playing along.

"Melody – how _could_ you?!" Vi yelled dramatically, and Melody gave an almost imperceptible nod – she'd have to remember to thank her for it later. "I looked up to you!"

"Maybe I'm not cut out to be one of the good guys after all, kid." Melody replied haughtily – steps could be heard shifting outside, meaning that Syndrome was listening. "I'm a criminal, kid. Do you want a role model like me?"

In that instant, the sound of clapping was to be heard as the doors slid open, revealing Syndrome, bearing a nasty grin. "Bravo, _Mel_," he chuckled, and he'd clearly fallen for it – Mr. Incredible couldn't understand why. Syndrome was smart – would he really be swayed so easily? "You've still got a brain hiding in that _super_ little head of yours."

Only then did Syndrome really take a good look at _Sonik_, slapping a dumbfounded expression across his face.

Sometime in the tussle, Melody must have managed to hit a button on her utility belt – her bodysuit had shifted from the waist down into a dangerously short skirt. As she stood, Syndrome raised an eyebrow, eyes locked on the vast expanse of leg now visible. Mr. Incredible's jaw clenched - he could tell what Melody was trying to do, but did not place much trust in Syndrome being sane or human enough to fall for it. The red-haired man raised an eyebrow, as though he were catching on.

Melody stalked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back into his chair where he'd been sitting in front of the control panel of the entire island. "I have more than brains, Syndrome," she said silkily – Mr. Incredible's jaw dropped. Not because he believed what Melody was saying, but because now, he _knew_ what she was doing. Melody's voice was echoing slightly, almost like a siren song, and from the slightly dazed expression on Syndrome's face, it was working all according to plan. He was almost completely hypnotized.

"Prove it," Syndrome said with the last bit of lucidity he could muster. "Kill them all."

"How?" Melody asked, unfazed and never breaking eye contact with him, never making it clear that she was lying. A part of her felt strange, as though she felt a thrill in the way he was looking at her, as though she wasn't merely pretending for the sake of saving her friends.

"I'll let you choose," he replied blankly – he was incorrigible, as Melody had expected. Mr. Incredible looked back at his family unsurely, as though they thought their trust in Melody's plan had been a mistake. Mel, however, did not miss a beat.

"How kind," she said, making sure to continue talking so that the hypnotic effect went unbroken. Mel strode over to the table, where Syndrome had a variety of objects – prototypes, gadgets, and a thick, metal two-by-four. Melody reached out and picked it up, turning back to face Mr. Incredible.

"My sincerest apologies, Mr. Parr," she said, her voice still echoing hypnotically. He clenched his eyes shut, tightening his jaw in expectation as Melody raised her arm.

Suddenly, she shifted on the ball of her foot and took a swing, hitting Syndrome on the back of the head. He staggered a bit, falling unconscious backwards and hitting the control panel, catching on a blaring red button that read '_self destruct_'.

"Damn it!" Melody yelled, her voice reverting back to normal – sirens were beginning to go off, and it was clear that if they didn't evacuate quickly, they would all be blown to bits. The entire family rushed over, and the grouped up, ready to leave. But just as they neared the door, Melody turned around, looking at Syndrome lying on the ground.

"Mel, come _on_!" Vi said, tugging on her mentor's sleeve with a good bit of force. Elastigirl and Dash had already run ahead to fire up the jet, but Mr. Incredible and Vi remained with Melody. "Sonik –"

"We can't leave him, it's not right," Melody insisted – her conscience twinged. She wouldn't feel particularly heroic, knowing she'd as good as killed her childhood best friend, regardless of what his lot in life had turned out to be. "Let the police deal with him, but don't leave him here."

Mr. Incredible eyed her appraisingly – the look of Melody's face was strange, pained as though this was more than a mere crisis of conscience. She didn't merely want to spare him out of _pity_ –"If we die because of him, it's your fault," he grunted, running back and slinging his nemesis over his shoulder as the rest of them dashed out to the jet.

"He's going to need a hospital before we put him behind bars," Mr. Incredible admitted grudgingly as they were taking off. Melody's eyes seemed trained inextricably on him all the way back to Metroville, something which did not go unnoticed.

Melody cleared her throat, looking up at Vi, her lopsided smile working its way back onto her face. "I want you to forget _everything_ you just saw me do," she said matter-of-factly. "I doubt your parents would appreciate you pulling a stunt like that."

No one was quite sure what to expect when the plane landed – surely the explosion of an entire island would have been noticed. As the door of the plane slid open, a rush of sound alarmed them briefly until they realized that it was a cheering crowd.

"You're a hero!" cried one voice as a reporter immediately began snapping photos of Mr. Incredible. "Mr. Incredible, you defeated Syndrome _again_ –"

"No," he said with a smile, and Melody, who had been caught by surprise by the whole scene, felt herself being tugged to the front of the group. "You have Sonik to thank for this one."

Suddenly, Mel's vision came into focus as she realized that in an instant, the cheering and the cameras were directed towards her – a warm, wet stinging appeared behind her eyes. They were cheering for _her_ – if Simon could have been here to see this, to see the crowds cheering for his baby sister the way he'd always dreamed they would cheer for him…

Mel ran her hand over her brother's belt buckle, still fastened tightly around her waist, and glanced with gratitude towards Mr. Incredible. For the first time, she truly felt like a _hero_.

* * *

"He's been out cold since yesterday," Melody said, looking at Mr. Incredible and Violet as they strode down the hallway of the hospital in full super-regalia – they couldn't for the life of them figure out why Melody insisted on coming back. When they stepped through the door of Syndrome's room, they were surprised to find a doctor already hovering over their redheaded nemesis, whose eyes were already open.

Upon seeing them enter, the doctor glanced at them and walked over. "We have a very – _peculiar_ turn of events ever since you brought him in," the doctor warned them, before gesturing them into the hospital room. Mr. Incredible was the first to enter, hovering over the hospital bed with a stiff, set jaw.

"Syndrome."

"What?" said the red-headed young man, looking alarmed. "You – what are you – I never told _anyone_ that name!"

Mr. Incredible eyed him hostilely.

"Since you're awake, we can call the –"

"No!" Melody yelped, rushing to the front of the group and catching on before the others what was really wrong. She leaned over the bed, brow furrowed. "Buddy?"

"What?" he said, looking clearly confused before he started speaking _very_ fast. "What on a rat's butt are you doing here? I thought you were moving to Maryland, you just left yesterday – why do you look so _old_?"

Melody's jaw dropped slightly – not only at the fact that she'd just been called _old_, and recognized even with her mask on, but also that her suspicions had been correct. He didn't remember anything. She glanced around at Bob and Vi, who looked dumbstruck as well, then reached out for a mirror on the table. Mel handed it to Buddy, who stared at it, only to find a face _years_ older than the one he'd expected to see.

"Damn it!" he said, dropping the mirror in his lap as the doctors left them alone to speak. "And what is _he_ doing here?" he snarled childishly towards Bob, only just recognizing him. Panic started to set in as they realized that Syndrome, still in the mindset of the teenager who'd felt rejected by his idol, was about to do something insane. Melody leaned over, hissing slightly to keep him from saying anything further, before leaning over and laying her powers on as thick as she could without being obvious.

"Don't you remember?" she asked sweetly. "You and Mr. Incredible have been working together – oof!" Mel yelped slightly as Mr. Incredible pulled her to the side, eyeing her critically. Her gaze softened, and her voice took on a pleading tone. "Please – he used to be my best friend. If we give him a chance –"

"How about when his memory comes back?"

"He'll be changed by then," Melody said resolutely. "If I know one thing, it's that heroes aren't about punishing people. They're – _we're_ about helping them. _Saving_ people."

Mr. Incredible paused at this – she sounded _so_ much like Simon when they were younger, and he and Simon had always agreed. Letting out a sigh, Mr. Incredible gripped Melody's arm to make sure she was listening to his conditions.

"_One_ chance." He said meaningfully - he wasn't sure why Melody wanted this, but he trusted in her. As the younger sister of one of his former closest friends, she was entitled to that much. Mistake or not, she meant no harm by it. "Say what you need to say to him. You have _one_ chance - if you can't change him, then I take over."

* * *

_A/N's_

_I know, I know. I've literally been gone for years – but I've finished highschool, gotten married, and started college ever since you last heard from me, and I've been getting a quite few responses about this story lately. I figured it was about time I gave it another shot, so I've reacquainted myself with it, and decided the new direction I want to go into._

_If I still have any readers out there, please make your presence known!_

_In any case – Syndrome has amnesia, and for those of you who are fans of fluff, there will be a few chapters of it coming up. For those of you who dislike fluff, fear not. It's not permanent._


End file.
